Switch 1 games that may still see improvements on Switch 2 hardware without an update

Power Pro

Power Pro

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It was suggested by Nintendo that even games that don't receive an update may still see improvements. This implies that games with more variable settings like dynamic resolution, and uncapped framerate might see some improvement. What are some games that you can think of that might benefit from this advantage? I can't think of much off the top of my head, so I wanted to pool our heads together and think of what Switch 1 games might actually look or run better on Switch 2.

Here's just a few I could think of:

Borderlands 3 - while I know this isn't the most popular game in the series, it always stuck out to me that it ran at an uncapped framerate on Nintendo Switch. It mostly around 40-45 fps, which is still not bad for the hardware. Not the biggest looker on there, but I still love a good framerate.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - I'm not sure about the 3, but I remember XC2 having some really harsh dynamic resolution, and it would go really low res at some times. It'd be nice if it could stay higher during a playthrough now.

Bayonetta 2 and 3 - While 2 is not as bad as 3 for framerate, would be nice if it was solid 60. As for 3, the game was even worse and really subpar in the framerate department, and it wasn't nearly as nice looking to me Bayonetta 2 was. It'd be nice if we could at least get it running at a solid 60 fps now.
 
Deadly Premonition origins. Capped frame rate at 60, but ran at 15-30 most of the time. I'd love to see if the Switch 2 can run it at a constant 60.
 
I think that'd be a very long list of titles. My impression is that any game with unlocked framerate or variable resolution should run/look better.

So something like Super Mario Odyssey should get slightly improved visuals even without the free patch that is coming since it's 60fps at variable resolution.
 
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Rune Factory 5 was terribly optimised, could hopefully become more enjoyable for Switch 2 owners. Just getting rid of stutterings and have a stable 30fps would do wonders.
 
I'll just quote my post from ano thread about this topic:

kevboard said:
Some Games that come to mind

Dynamic Resolutions and Unstable FPS:
Bayonetta 3
Doom 2016
Doom Eternal
Breath of the Wild
Tears of the Kingdom
Link's Awakening
Echoes of Wisdom
Witcher 3
Pokémon Sword/Shield
Pokémon Scarlet/Violet

Static Resolution and Unstable FPS:
Bayonetta
Bayonetta 2
Deadly Premonition 2

Dynamic Resolutions and mostly Stable FPS:
Mario Odyssey
Astral Chain
Pokémon Arceus


Edit:
additionally, I really hope Nintendo allows you to put games into "docked mode" even when played as a handheld.
it would need to be an optional thing as some games expect and/or support touch inputs when in handheld mode, so they can't make it the only option.

but with the 1080p screen it would be a perfect fit.
That way you can play a lot of Switch 1 games at 1080p, higher graphics settigs, or both, while in handheld mode. giving them an automatic quality improvement without any patch needed.

Mario Odyssey for example is dynamic 900p docked with higher graphics settings than in handheld mode. example, in handheld mode some transparencies are using dithering instead of true transparency (like for water)
this 900p docked mode would look way better on the new 1080p screen than the dynamic 720p handheld mode with dithered effects.
Click to expand...
Some Games that come to mind

Dynamic Resolutions and Unstable FPS:
Bayonetta 3
Doom 2016
Doom Eternal
Breath of the Wild
Tears of the Kingdom
Link's Awakening
Echoes of Wisdom
Witcher 3
Pokémon Sword/Shield
Pokémon Scarlet/Violet

Static Resolution and Unstable FPS:
Bayonetta
Bayonetta 2
Deadly Premonition 2

Dynamic Resolutions and mostly Stable FPS:
Mario Odyssey
Astral Chain
Pokémon Arceus


Edit:
additionally, I really hope Nintendo allows you to put games into "docked mode" even when played as a handheld.
it would need to be an optional thing as some games expect and/or support touch inputs when in handheld mode, so they can't make it the only option.

but with the 1080p screen it would be a perfect fit.
That way you can play a lot of Switch 1 games at 1080p, higher graphics settigs, or both, while in handheld mode. giving them an automatic quality improvement without any patch needed.

Mario Odyssey for example is dynamic 900p docked with higher graphics settings than in handheld mode. example, in handheld mode some transparencies are using dithering instead of true transparency (like for water)
this 900p docked mode would look way better on the new 1080p screen than the dynamic 720p handheld mode with dithered effects.

of note here is Bayonetta 3 doesn't have a traditional dynamic resolution where the resolution adjusts according to GPU load. instead they implemented a weird manually triggered dynamic resolution that lowers depending on what kind of effects are on screen.

this means Bayo 3 would need a patch to get rid of this hard coded dynamic resolution in order to run at a steady quality on Switch 2.
either way however, the framerate should improve DRAMATICALLY from the big jump in memory bandwidth alone.
 
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kevboard said:
this means Bayo 3 would need a patch to get rid of this hard coded dynamic resolution in order to run at a steady quality on Switch 2.
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Disappointed Kevin Sorbo GIF
 
It's going to be real dumb imo if Switch 2 isn't running Switch 1 games in their docked profile in handheld mode. I don't give a shit about the "special cases" for touch screen or whatever....make it optional.

Otherwise getting the ugly ass low res Switch 1 handheld mode is going to ugly on that 8 inch screen.
 
I think it also depends on how good the emulation/translation layer is for Switch 1 games on the Switch 2. But quite a number of games with DRS and low FPS can use a boost.
 
kevboard said:
I'll just quote my post from ano thread about this topic:


Some Games that come to mind

Dynamic Resolutions and Unstable FPS:
Bayonetta 3
Doom 2016
Doom Eternal
Breath of the Wild
Tears of the Kingdom
Link's Awakening
Echoes of Wisdom
Witcher 3
Pokémon Sword/Shield
Pokémon Scarlet/Violet

Static Resolution and Unstable FPS:
Bayonetta
Bayonetta 2
Deadly Premonition 2

Dynamic Resolutions and mostly Stable FPS:
Mario Odyssey
Astral Chain
Pokémon Arceus


Edit:
additionally, I really hope Nintendo allows you to put games into "docked mode" even when played as a handheld.
it would need to be an optional thing as some games expect and/or support touch inputs when in handheld mode, so they can't make it the only option.

but with the 1080p screen it would be a perfect fit.
That way you can play a lot of Switch 1 games at 1080p, higher graphics settigs, or both, while in handheld mode. giving them an automatic quality improvement without any patch needed.

Mario Odyssey for example is dynamic 900p docked with higher graphics settings than in handheld mode. example, in handheld mode some transparencies are using dithering instead of true transparency (like for water)
this 900p docked mode would look way better on the new 1080p screen than the dynamic 720p handheld mode with dithered effects.

of note here is Bayonetta 3 doesn't have a traditional dynamic resolution where the resolution adjusts according to GPU load. instead they implemented a weird manually triggered dynamic resolution that lowers depending on what kind of effects are on screen.

this means Bayo 3 would need a patch to get rid of this hard coded dynamic resolution in order to run at a steady quality on Switch 2.
either way however, the framerate should improve DRAMATICALLY from the big jump in memory bandwidth alone.
Click to expand...
Oooh, the Doom games getting a bump would be nice. I know most people here probably never touched the Switch releases of them, but I always get a kick out of seeing and playing "impossible ports" like those. Doom 2016 looked and ran completely playable on Switch. Not sure about Eternal.
 
kevboard said:
I'll just quote my post from ano thread about this topic:


Some Games that come to mind

Dynamic Resolutions and Unstable FPS:
Bayonetta 3
Doom 2016
Doom Eternal
Breath of the Wild
Tears of the Kingdom
Link's Awakening
Echoes of Wisdom
Witcher 3
Pokémon Sword/Shield
Pokémon Scarlet/Violet

Static Resolution and Unstable FPS:
Bayonetta
Bayonetta 2
Deadly Premonition 2

Dynamic Resolutions and mostly Stable FPS:
Mario Odyssey
Astral Chain
Pokémon Arceus


Edit:
additionally, I really hope Nintendo allows you to put games into "docked mode" even when played as a handheld.
it would need to be an optional thing as some games expect and/or support touch inputs when in handheld mode, so they can't make it the only option.

but with the 1080p screen it would be a perfect fit.
That way you can play a lot of Switch 1 games at 1080p, higher graphics settigs, or both, while in handheld mode. giving them an automatic quality improvement without any patch needed.

Mario Odyssey for example is dynamic 900p docked with higher graphics settings than in handheld mode. example, in handheld mode some transparencies are using dithering instead of true transparency (like for water)
this 900p docked mode would look way better on the new 1080p screen than the dynamic 720p handheld mode with dithered effects.

of note here is Bayonetta 3 doesn't have a traditional dynamic resolution where the resolution adjusts according to GPU load. instead they implemented a weird manually triggered dynamic resolution that lowers depending on what kind of effects are on screen.

this means Bayo 3 would need a patch to get rid of this hard coded dynamic resolution in order to run at a steady quality on Switch 2.
either way however, the framerate should improve DRAMATICALLY from the big jump in memory bandwidth alone.
Click to expand...
It was my thread. Thank you for the input on both.
 
GoldenEye98 said:
It's going to be real dumb imo if Switch 2 isn't running Switch 1 games in their docked profile in handheld mode. I don't give a shit about the "special cases" for touch screen or whatever....make it optional.

Otherwise getting the ugly ass low res Switch 1 handheld mode is going to ugly on that 8 inch screen.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure, but I'd imagine that'd require a update since the docked configuration in most cases will be a locked 720p max resolution.

If it's variable resolution and drops to 540p on Switch (1) you'll probably get 720p locked on Switch 2, but I'm pretty sure it'd max out at 720p for the handheld configuration.
 
I mean we would realistically expect Switch 1 games with DRS to max at the top resolution and top framerate.

The big question being games with unlocked framerate (like Saint Row the Third), I wonder if they can top 90+ fps
 
Didn't Nintendo say that it's using an Emulation layer for switch 1 games on switch 2? This is Nintendo, I expect minimal changes but Nintendo also likes to update their software over time.
Loading time improvements, uncapped FPS and DRS are the three items that could theoretically improve without any patches.
And if you look at the Nintendo chart, they can't even confirm for sure if a game can even be played from start to finish for a lot of Switch 1 games.
 
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Gambit2483 said:
This is false, unless Nintendo is outright lying and designed the system to actively prevent the processors from improving Switch 1 emulation.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I don't even see how faster loading would be a thing since the Switch 1 carts themselves wouldn't load faster on the Switch 2. It's not like it can read the data faster than the cart is capable of handling. Maybe if they're running a digital version of it off the new storage.
 
Robb said:
I'm not sure, but I'd imagine that'd require a update since the docked configuration in most cases will be a locked 720p max resolution.

If it's variable resolution and drops to 540p on Switch (1) you'll probably get 720p locked on Switch 2, but I'm pretty sure it'd max out at 720p for the handheld configuration.
Click to expand...

Didn't games typically run at a higher resolution in docked mode on Switch 1?

I doubt Switch 1 games handheld resolution even if variable exceed docked mode resolution...
 
GoldenEye98 said:
Didn't games typically run at a higher resolution in docked mode on Switch 1?

I doubt Switch 1 games handheld resolution even if variable exceed docked mode resolution...
Click to expand...
Some games have the same resolution docked and handheld, but with some visual tweaks (like Bayo 1 and 2 running the same). Or like Bower's Fury running both modes at 720p but 60fps on docked and 30fps handheld.

And then you try to explain how having two configurations make the Switch different from a handheld with a TV output, and you still have naysayers.
 
Baemono said:
Some games have the same resolution docked and handheld, but with some visual tweaks (like Bayo 1 and 2 running the same). Or like Bower's Fury running both modes at 720p but 60fps on docked and 30fps handheld.

And then you try to explain how having two configurations make the Switch different from a handheld with a TV output, and you still have naysayers.
Click to expand...

Right....so running the docked mode of a Switch 1 game on Switch 2 will be better in virtually every case...this doesn't require an update any more than the BC handheld mode of a Switch 1 game would and I don't see why Switch 2 handheld doesn't have the grunt to pull it off...

Switch 2 handheld is like 1.7 Tflops and Switch 1 docked is 0.4 Tflops....it should be a no brainer...
 
GoldenEye98 said:
Didn't games typically run at a higher resolution in docked mode on Switch 1?

I doubt Switch 1 games handheld resolution even if variable exceed docked mode resolution...
Click to expand...
Yeah, but iirc developers adjust the setting for each mode.

So for Mario Odyssey, for example, the max resolution in docked mode is set to 1080p. In handheld mode it's set to 720p. In that case the handheld version will never be able to go above the 720p limit, i.e. the docked resolution will not be available in handheld on Switch 2 even if the system can technically brute force it.

I assume that's one reason why they've specified "visual improvements" in the Switch 2 upgrade patch notes. I'd expect them to remove the 720p limit in handheld mode.
 
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Robb said:
Yeah, but iirc developers adjust the setting for each mode.

So for Mario Odyssey, for example, the max resolution in docked mode is set to 1080p. In handheld mode it's set to 720p. In that case the handheld version will never be able to go above the 720p limit, i.e. the docked resolution will not be available in handheld on Switch 2 even if the system can technically brute force it.

I assume that's one reason why they've specified "visual improvements" in the Switch 2 upgrade patch notes. I'd expect them to remove the 720p limit in handheld mode.
Click to expand...

It is if they run Switch 1 games in their docked mode on Switch 2 handheld mode....which is my argument.

Odyssey itself is a bad example because is getting it's own upgrade anyway.... I'm discussing non-upgraded Switch 1 games....of which there is going to be many among 3rd party.
 
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GoldenEye98 said:
It is if they run Switch 1 games in their docked mode on Switch 2 handheld mode....which is my argument.
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Yeah, I'm not really arguing against that. I'm just saying that if the resolution is capped by a line of code by the developers, the game won't be improved by default in handheld mode on Switch 2.

From what I've understood all games like that would need an update to change the code, which seems likely to be the case for Mario Odyssey.

You'll obviously be able to play Mario Odyssey on Switch 2 without ever downloading the free patch, but in that case I'll wager you'll be stuck in 720p in handheld mode.
 
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Gambit2483 said:
This is false, unless Nintendo is outright lying and designed the system to actively prevent the processors from improving Switch 1 emulation.
Click to expand...
Power Pro said:
Yeah, I don't even see how faster loading would be a thing since the Switch 1 carts themselves wouldn't load faster on the Switch 2. It's not like it can read the data faster than the cart is capable of handling. Maybe if they're running a digital version of it off the new storage.
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Are you guys nuts? You can't simply speed up clocks for emulation and hope games run faster. Tons of games would simply break if that was the case. Why do you guys think they mentioned they would update games for free even to do something so simple as improve framerate? If the emulation did that automatically, they wouldn't need to update anything.

Loading speeds was literally mentioned by developers as one of the things that will probably improve, since games can also come from internal storage.

You guys sure are setting up yourselves for disappointment.

Maybe another improvement would be sound, counting on switch 2 having better speakers than switch.
 
Assume any digital game would have improved loading times due to faster storage. Loading times also improve with more ram and faster processing.
 
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justiceiro said:
Are you guys nuts? You can't simply speed up clocks for emulation and hope games run faster. Tons of games would simply break if that was the case. Why do you guys think they mentioned they would update games for free even to do something so simple as improve framerate? If the emulation did that automatically, they wouldn't need to update anything.

Loading speeds was literally mentioned by developers as one of the things that will probably improve, since games can also come from internal storage.

You guys sure are setting up yourselves for disappointment.

Maybe another improvement would be sound, counting on switch 2 having better speakers than switch.
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Read my last post. That's an excerpt from a Nintendo developer interview. I guess Nintendo was lying in that instance then?
 
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